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11h ago

U.S. Customs Seizes Massive Shipments of Counterfeit Luxury Watches and Branded Goods

Officials say packages traced to Hong Kong and China show how e-commerce small‑parcel routes help fund organized crime, undercut U.S. businesses, pose consumer safety risks.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized counterfeit goods at George Bush Intercontinental Airport that the agency said would have been worth $3.7 million if genuine.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized counterfeit goods at George Bush Intercontinental Airport that the agency said would have been worth $3.7 million if genuine.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized counterfeit goods at George Bush Intercontinental Airport that the agency said would have been worth $3.7 million if genuine.
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Overview

  • On July 31, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of Louisville intercepted a parcel headed for Houston that contained 300 counterfeit Audemars Piguet watches with a combined MSRP of about $43 million if genuine.
  • CBP says the July seizure is one of three Louisville shipments in June and July that together concealed 875 counterfeit Audemars Piguet watches, a haul that would total more than $1.25 billion at retail if the items were authentic.
  • Federal officers at an Indianapolis express consignment facility also intercepted dozens of fake luxury watches and CBP’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport team seized nearly $3.7 million in counterfeit apparel, bags, sunglasses and automotive electronics.
  • Trade experts in CBP’s Centers of Excellence and Expertise examined the items and determined they were inauthentic, and agency statements say most of the intercepted shipments originated in Hong Kong or China and traveled via international mail and express channels.
  • CBP warns counterfeit goods cost U.S. businesses and tax revenue, can fund organized crime, may pose safety risks, and urges consumers to buy from authorized sellers and report suspected counterfeits through its e‑Allegations portal while enforcement continues.